Normal
by syd004
Summary: "A genius, a half ghost, and a juvenile delinquent sneak into a government lab... and the sad part is, I'm not joking." A take on the mysterious life of the illustrious Dani Phantom and her life in Abbot, Colorado. Pre PP.
1. Gypsy

Normal. Chapter 1) Gypsy.

Summary: "A genius, a half ghost, and a juvenile delinquent sneak into a government lab... and the sad part is, I'm not joking." A take on the mysterious life of the illustrious Dani Phantom and her life in Abbot, Colorado. Pre PP.

A/N: Kay, so I've had this idea in my head for MONTHS, and kept pushing it side due to having two other stories in the works at the moment, but, I've finally succumbed to the madness... ALIEA NARREM! (Latin for on with the story,)

Disclaimer: Dani and Co. are property of the illustrious Butch Hartman, my wonderfully creative idol, who inspired me to create Christina and Scott and their crew, THEY BELONG TO ME AND I WILL DESTROY YOU IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT STEALING THEM.

Dani wasn't happy, this much was evident by the forlorn and angst-y look on her face as her "cousin" tried to cheer her up.

"Now, come on Dani, we can find a way for you to stay here, if not with me, then with Sam. It's not like you HAVE to roam around like a gypsy all the time..."

This only aggravated the now thirteen year old girl as she glanced down at herself. A silky red scarf was draped around her neck and many beaded bracelets and necklaces encircled her wrists and neck, another scarf was knotted around her waist, and her burlap book bag (completely covered in multicolored sharpie doodles.) hung over her shoulder. Along with her sky blue sweat-shirt, pin covered scarlet beanie, and flowy red pants that nearly covered her old converse, she did have to admit that she looked every bit the gypsy she'd come to be.

Her strange appearance was merely a side affect of the time she'd spent traveling the globe, gifts for her help in protecting and, in some cases, saving towns around the world from drought, crime, and even the occasional ghost.

She'd failed at every attempt at being normal though, never being able to stay in one place due to fears of truancy officers, nosy locals, CPS, and pure paranoia driving her from town to town.

She'd been to London, Sydney, Paris, and Hollywood. She'd been named a hero in villages in the remote jungles, cities in the crowded swells of countries, and many more. She'd even made friends in Mumbai, Rio, Edinburg, Beijing, and Tokyo. Other times, a mere acquaintance or a stranger would see her and listen to the marvelous tale of how the strange little gypsy girl had come to be in the town, sometimes even throwing her a few coins or trinkets for the tale. She helped babysit, wash cars, and do odd jobs to earn money, sometimes venturing into the ghost zone to pay a visit to Frostbite and Dora, before heading back to the human realm through the natural portals she encountered.

All in all, it was a good life, and most would have given anything to live like she had for the last year, always on a new adventure, and never having any duties or responsibilities. However, she'd become lonely, and if anyone knew what to do, she figured it'd be her almost-cousin.

She was terribly wrong.

She may have been his clone, but they thought in very different ways, and most every idea he'd had was rubbish in her mind. She wanted to tell him that she didn't WANT to stay in Amity, rather, she wanted to find a haunt of her own and settle. She knew better though, and waited for Jazz to come into the upstairs bedroom before mentioning what she had planned.

While she waited for the ginger to arrive, she and Danny hung out and talked. They prank-called Tucker twice before he blocked them, face-timed Sam (from Danny's laptop of course.) while using as many special effects as possible before she hung up on them, played extreme Uno, and took turns defacing each others doodles. After a blissful hour of giggles and play-fighting, Jazz came home from the library and Dani revealed her master plot. Surprisingly, Danny's only question was why.

"It's not that I don't like Amity, it's just... I want to be Dani, not Danny's clone... And Amity is your turf, it just doesn't feel like MY place, more like I'm staying the night at relatives... I promise I'm not mad or anything, I just want to be my own person, and I don't think I can do that here."

Jazz had listened intensely, and Danny took a minute to think. She frowned when she saw his concerned expression, knowing it to be a look of discontent, when he surprised her with the proclamation that he'd have to ask Sam for a loan.

"What?" She asked, relieved that he would actually let her go.

"Well, we're gonna need to get you some way to pay for a place for you to stay, and if you want to get into school you'll need some supplies, clothes, and other junk... Unless, yo want to do it yourself, but I just thought you'd want some help..." His reply was cut off as Dani enveloped him in a hug and thanked him over and over.

A week later, she, Team Phantom, and her bag, were zooming towards the far frozen in the specter speeder. It was a long journey, filled mostly with companionable silence and bad renditions of the latest tune, as they flew past the floating islands and swirling vortexes.

They finally made it to the small village of frostbite and his herd of yeti-like people, and after a "warm" welcome to the icy tundra, the frozen warrior himself took them into the large cave holding the infi-map, and gathered around the frozen safe.

They all said their good-byes, and Dani and Frostbite grabbed the map.

"Take me to my new home."

And with that, they were gone.


	2. Home (Part 1)

A/N 'Kay guys, I'm really hyped about this story, but I want something in exchange, REVIEWS! I love reviews more than I love sugar, and I LOVE sugar. So, even if it's just a smily face or noting that there was a mistake in the chapter, please review! Now, ALIEA NARREM!

Disclaimer: My legal advisor has reminded me to ensure you that No, I'm not Butch Hartman, and No, I don't own Dani or any related characters. However, Christina and Scott are my OC's and I WILL get revenge if you even think about stealing them. Thank you, and have a nice day.

It had been a long and hard day for Dani, and as she lie in bed, she wondered if she was making the right decision in coming here.

After leaving her friends behind, she was yanked through the swirling green mass of the ghost zone, it had seemed like ages had gone by when they finally reached the swirling portal and stepped into the cool, crisp sunlight.

The air there was fresh, with only minor traces of pollutants, and she was surrounded by aspens. If not for the faint rumbling of cars in the distance, Dani would have assumed she'd been dropped into the past.

"Why," She questioned, tuning to Frostbite, "are we in the middle of nowhere?"

"Well, young warrior, you have surly heard the human's tales of my people roaming the world, yes?" He explained, waiting for her nod to continue. "This is due to our travels to the realm. When traveling, the infi-map will deposit us someplace remote, in order to protect us from curious humans... However, it is not charged with our protection after we leave, sometimes leading to us stumbling upon a pack of humans."

She nodded in understanding and set her bag down as she gave him a large hug around his furry white body. She had come to see frostbite as her guardian while she was traveling, and hated the idea of being unable to see him. As she thought of this she thought of how much she'd miss Sam, Tucker, Danny, and Jazz. If she got hurt, Sam wouldn't be there with her medical kit, and Jazz wouldn't be checking for brain damage... Tucker wouldn't be there to crack a joke, and Danny wouldn't be hovering over her to see if she was okay. Was it REALLY worth it?

As if he knew what she was thinking, the furry beast kneeled down to look her in the eyes as he comforted her. "You told the map to take you home, just remember, that for as long as I can remember, the map has never been wrong... And neither have you, little warrior. Trust your heart, will you stay here, or return home?"

...

She gave him one last squeeze before he stepped though the portal, leaving her teary-eyed on the outskirts of her new home.

After taking a minute to collect herself, she went ghost and started flying invisibly towards the small city. It was 10 minutes later that she reached the sign reading, "Welcome to Abbot Colorado, home of Volt industries!"

"Tucker would so kill to be here." she said before heading into a cluster of bushes and turning human. She snapped a few pictures of it on a disposable camera Jazz had given her, and headed into town.

After another 5 minutes, she had reached Main Street, and it was NOTHING like the forest she had originally been dropped in. There were large modern buildings on both sides of the long narrow street, and people crowded the sidewalks as the rushed back to work from lunch. There were plenty of cars, bikes, cabs, and busses rumbling along the busy road, and , of course, a coffee shop on either corner.

Once she made her way down the busy street, the road went of in three directions.

The first went south, and lead to Volt Drive, the gated community containing the Volt computer factory, homes of employees, and the famous Volt estate.

The next led west, towards the less crowded side of town, where the schools, shops, and local businesses were located.

The third was the residential area in the east. The homes were the only things out here, leaving it to be the least taken route at the moment.

Since she didn't actually have a house, and wasn't a Volt employee, she decided to go west.

Once she'd completed the short trek down the path, she decided just to stroll around a bit before finding a place to stay. There were lots of interesting stores she'd seen, but the bookstore was the most impressive.

It wasn't that she was particularly interested in books, but the fact that the place was just so magnificent. The enormous store was made of black spotted granite and beautifully polished wood, with an elaborately carved archway leading to the curved wooden double doors that served as the entrance. She was currently standing right in front of the large entryway, and staring up at the looping silver wording painted at the top of the arch that read, "Blooming Chrysanthemum Library and Bookstore" when the ginormous doors flung open and what appeared to be a walking stack of books rammed into her.

As the books flew down the sidewalk, Dani caught a glimpse of her "attacker."

It was a rather short girl who looked to be about her age, with long dirty-blonde hair and owlish hazel eyes that were hidden behind huge, thick-rimmed, glasses. The girl, whom Dani realized must have been used to this sort of thing, hurriedly scrambled to her feet and raced to help her up.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there, I promise I didn't mean to, I'm just naturally clumsy, Heck, this is the third time this week I've knocked someone down, I should probably start watching where I'm going..." Rambled the girl as she fiddled with the hem of her striped shirt as though it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"It's Okay, I shouldn't have been standing in front of the doorway like that." She said, stopping the girl before she could stammer any more. "My name's Dani, yours?"

The girl appeared relieved as she stuck out her hand with a smile. "Christina, and you must be new to town if you don't know who your supposed to avoid yet."

Even though her tone was light and joyous, Danielle got the feeling she wasn't joking. However, to avoid seeming nosy, she let it slide as the girl bent down to pick up her books.

"Let me help, you seem to have quite a bit of a spill to pick up." Dani said, squatting down to help.

A few minutes later, the girls had nearly all the books back in a pile on a nearby bench with Dani's bag.

"Have you seen 'molecular fusion for simpletons'?"Called Christina as she searched under one of the marble lions outside the bookstore.

It took Danielle a moment to realize that her new friend was being entirely serious, before she spotted it poking out from beneath a bush two stores down.

Once again, Dani saved the question for later, and tossed the book onto the pile.

Forty-five minutes later, the two teens had managed to carry the huge stack into the residential district and were continuing down alleys until they'd reached the edge of town. It was dirty and dangerous, and even though it was 3 in the afternoon, it felt dark. It was like the feeling you get when your walking down the street at dusk and it feels like something's lurking in the shadows, prowling the alleys, just waiting to pounce and come in for the kill...

Feeling like a predator was a common feeling for the half-ghost, knowing that she was the dominant power had become something that she'd taken for granted, and it gave her a sick feeling knowing that she was the prey.

Yet, Christina, whom Dani was beginning to think wasn't entirely sane, kept walking.

So the two girls continued marching until they reached a dilapidated two-story building that was supposedly a house. It was rickety and wooden, and tilted slightly to the right. The windows were covered in grime and filth, assuming they were whole, and large chinks were missing from the walls. It was a miracle that the house was still standing, much less being used.

Suddenly, there was a flash of movement, and a boy landed in a defensive position in front of Christina. The boy wore a tattered red jacket, black jeans, and a purple button down. On his shirt, a picture of a flame was drawn in the same bright orange as the patches on his jacket, and a pair of old converse covered his feet.

However, his unusual choice of wardrobe went unnoticed by Dani at the sight of a challenge.

She backed into a stance of her own, and prepared to deliver a powerful kick, when...

"STOP IT!" Cried Christina, just as Dani was about to deliver the swift blow.

As the two fighters settled back into a regular position, while glaring daggers at the other.

"Chrissie, I wanna know who she is, what she's doing here, and why she nearly executed a perfect kick to my skull." The boy deadpanned as he ran a pale hand through his fiery hair.

Dani's worry about her friends sanity only continued as she realized that she was perfectly calm talking to a kid that had jumped off a roof, tried to fight her, and had dyed his hair to look like ACTUAL fire.

"In order, Scott meet Dani, I accidentally ran into her at the bookstore and found out she's new, and I'm assuming it had something to do with the fact that a complete stranger landed if front of her and got into a fighting position." She scoffed, as though it were obvious.

"She's like a mini Jazz," Dani thought to herself, before adding, "without all the psycho-babble."

He gave her a piercing gaze with his ivy colored eyes before he visibly relaxed and stuck out a hand. "Scott Cooper, arsonist, cat-burglar, and pick pocket for hire. "

"So, where you from Dani?" called Chrissie as she started digging through her pile of books, which had, once again, spilled.

"Eh, doesn't matter, I can't exactly go back." She said with a shrug.

"You're an outcast? That's great, so are we!" Cried Chrissie with a Cheshire grin splitting her face

Dani laughed, and Scott gave a little chuckle, before a book was chucked at his head by Chrissie.

He caught it in his hand and scanned the title before tossing it back to her. "If you're planning of bringing her into the loop," he said, jerking his thumb at Danielle, "them we'd better head to the roof."

She followed as the two headed over to the side of the shack, Chrissie started climbing the fence while Scott headed up the frayed rope he'd come down on earlier. Chrissie reached the top of the chain link fence, and pulled herself up onto the fire escape of a nearby building, and leaped onto the tin roof with a small thud.

The two beckoned her up, and so she climbed the rope as Scott had, pulling herself up onto the corrugated metal.

The rooftop was covered in pieces of broken blenders, decimated laptops, and at least a dozen gutted calculators. There was also a library of books and blueprints sitting in a plastic bin in the corner, and a trash bag full of candy wrappers, bags of chips, and bottles of soda.

It was the single most shocking thing that she'd seen all month.

TO BE CONTINUED.


	3. Home (Part 2)

Normal. Chapter 3) Home. (Part Two)

A/N Before I continue, I've gotta ask, does anybody else think that Frostbite reminds you of Sully from Monsters Inc? IDK maybe it's just me, but if you think so, let me know!

Disclaimer: Monster's Inc and Danny Phantom are owned by Nick and Disney, respectively.

*Flashback*

The two beckoned her up, and so she climbed the rope as Scott had, pulling herself up onto the corrugated metal.

The rooftop was covered in pieces of broken blenders, decimated laptops, and at least a dozen gutted calculators. There was also a library of books and blueprints sitting in a plastic bin in the corner, and a trash bag full of candy wrappers, bags of chips, and bottles of soda.

It was the single most shocking thing that she'd seen all month.

TO BE CONTINUED.

*End Flashback*

Dani chuckled as she remembered how shocked she'd been. In all hindsight, she should've guessed that Christina wasn't normal after she'd bought a book on molecular fusion. But hey, she WAS Danny's clone, the cluelessness probably runs in the family... Even the fact that her two new friends had a secret lab on top of a run down building couldn't compare with what she'd learned next. In fact, remembering it, she was surprised she hadn't fainted...

She had just barely gotten accustomed to the idea that two outcasts were operating a secret lab in the ghettos, when Christina decided to drop the ACTUAL ball.

"Now that you've seen this I should properly introduce myself."

Dani merely stared, stunned speechless at the authority in the small girls voice.

"I'm Christina Volt, president of Volt industries, and certified genius."

This time, Dani's mouth practically dropped to the floor as her eyes bugged out. "Pull up your jaw." Smirked Scott, "Wouldn't wanna catch flys."

She immediately stopped her gaping and glared at Scott.

"Both of you, stop acting like seven year olds!" Cried the blonde before the two could argue. "We're fourteen for pete's sake!"

The two quit their bickering and refocused their energy on the genius.

Before anyone could make a snappy comeback, Dani questioned the human girl. "It's not that I don't want you to trust me, but, I gotta ask, why?"

"You're the first person not to question or pry at my motives and odd comments since I first met Scott, and besides, you would've figured it out soon enough, I mean 'molecular fusion for simpletons'? You're obviously not THAT dumb. You've also got plenty of loyalty and courage, trusting a complete stranger to lead you away from safety. You've got good manners, and can hold an intelligent conversation, all in all, you make better company than most adults." Chrissie had replied as she pushed some more books in the container before snapping the lid and taking a seat.

Dani just watched as the juvenile delinquent grabbed a bucket and turned it over to use as a stool, not sure wether or not to grab something as they had or just plop herself down on the rusty tin.

Scott decided for her as he tossed her an old wood crate, She nodded her thanks and sat herself down as Chrissie began explaining.

"When I was two, I completed a 200 piece puzzle in thirty minutes. When I was four, I was already reading at 300 words per minute. I have an IQ of 165, and could reassemble any of these computers in half an hour. If he were alive, I could outwit Einstein. And if Ron Weasley existed, I could beat him at chess." She waited a minute before nodding for the inventor to continue.

"Scott here was born rich, but due to "strange circumstances" he turned out looking more like a bartend in Scotland than his father. So, his father and his mother pretend he doesn't exist, leaving him with his uncle while they travel. They usually stay for a couple of days in the summer-"

"Pure torture." cut in Scott.

"They occasionally send birthday cards-"

"They sent one card, and it was addressed to a five year old named Tommy."

"His uncle is a rather unsanitary-"

"A disgusting slob"

"And has been charged with substance abuse-"

"Many, Many times."

"Mr. and Mrs. Cooper send a fair amount-"

"Loads of cash."

"For his care and expenses-"

"More like beer for the drunk."

"And Scott mostly takes care of himself-"

"Only thing uncle dearest provides is a roof over my head."

"And is an experienced criminal-"

"Basically," Scott said, ending Chrissie's explanation, "She's a mad genius, and I'm deadly dangerous. So what we want to know, is what can you do."

The two stared at the ebony haired teen while she calculated what to say.

"I can hold my own in a fight... I'm great with languages, and am trained a wide variety of firearms... I can trail people really well... um... I can keep secrets..."

None of that was a lie, just partial truth. For example, she could hold her own in a fight because of her ghostly stamina, or she was trained in a wide variety of Fenton brand ghost-proof firearms. All true... but not the ENTIRE truth.

"Well, lucky for you, I'm too clumsy, and Scott's too intimidating for the whole espionage business. Welcome to the outcasts!" Christina exclaimed excitedly as she shook Dani's hand vigorously.

LINE BREAK OF THE 3rd DEGREE!

By this time the sun was setting, and the two girls were heading home. It had been a long day for Dani, and she was ready to hit the sack. Meanwhile, she could practically see the gears turning in her friends head as she walked down the long main road.

"Wanna clue the non-genius in on what you're thinking?" Dani asked with a smirk.

"Well, I was wondering... You wanna play a game?"

"Excuse me, but huh?"

"Well, it's sort of like hide and seek, but you just tail me and see if you get caught. I figured it'd be best to see exactly how good you are... You know, for security reasons..."

Dani nodded and the other girl closed her eyes to give her a ten second head start. Plenty of time for her to go invisible.

It took a lot not to laugh as the girl tried to find her, even though she actually WAS pretty clever about it. For example, she'd used her phone as a mirror, checking behind her without drawing any attention to herself. However, it was all in vain since her opponent wasn't able to be seen at the moment.

"Alright!" She called out as they reached the gate separating Volt Drive from the outside world. "Come on out!"

Dani quickly slipped into a nearby alley and made herself visible. Chrissie stared at her for a second before putting on a smile. "Wow, you're really good, almost as if you were invisible!"

Dani giggled with the other girl before they said their goodbyes and the blonde headed through the iron fence.

"See you tomorrow, Chrysanthemum's at 10!"

Once she was sure the genius wasn't looking, she turned ghost and flew off, time to hit the sack. She headed back towards the residential area and found the apartment complex she'd be staying in. She turned human and headed into the front office. "I'm here for a room key for a Ms. Danielle Fenton!"

"Just a second! I'll be right with you!" Came pleading call from the office behind the desk.

Not ten seconds later, a loud, "Yesss!" , and a cheery "Level Up!" Were heard while another voice grumbled about cheat codes.

Soon after a tall guy walked out of the office, his dusty brown bangs ruffled and his Green Day tee wrinkled. He was obviously not an adult, but clearly not a kid either.

"Now, what was that?" He asked as he looked down at the girl.

"I'm here for a room key for Ms. Danielle Fenton." The clone repeated as she pulled her receipt out of her bag. "The room was booked online last week."

"Ah, Fenton, room 13B, if you need anything let me know, just ask for Josh." He said as he handed over the little silver keys.

She gave the gamer a quick thanks and headed to her room. She was exhausted, and couldn't wait to get some rest.

She quickly went over her day and finally passed out.

MEANWHILE...

Christina had run home as fast as she could after she was sure Dani had left. She made a quick call to Scott before tearing back out to the alley Dani had come out of earlier.

"...And then she came out of this alley like there was nothing weird about it." Finished the girl as she told her friend what happened.

"Impossible, she would've had to dodge Mrs. Camille and that demon dog of hers without a sound!"

"Well, then how did she do it...?"

A/N Oh, looks like Dani's in trouble now! Sorry about the lack of updates though, I really didn't wanna screw this chapter up. It's super important, what with incorporating their bio's and introducing Gamer Josh and his buddy Felix, who wasn't able to show up just yet. Anyways, I hope you all liked the chappie, see ya!

Syd004


	4. Late

Normal Chapter 4) Late.  
A/N Okay... So, I, like Dani, am EXTREMELY LATE! I can't believe I haven't updated in so long... Anyways, sorry about the long wait,what with schoolwork and chores, just getting enough sleep is difficult. Now, without further ado, Aliea Narrem!  
Disclaimer: I own Chrissie and Scott. I don't own Dani. 'Nuff said.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Dani rolled over, with a sleepy moan, cursing the man who dreamed up the horrible alarm system that was currently prohibiting her sleep.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Arrgh!" In her semi-conscious state, a simple grunt was all she could produce as she slapped her hand against the tiny wooden table, failing to smack the snooze button and defeat the wretched mechanical beast.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

She finally peeled her face from the pillow and glanced at the digital clock before jumping frantically out of bed. She wasted no time in untangling herself as she phased through the covers and raced for the tiny bathroom. She did a quick shower and brushed her teeth before pulling her damp hair into a messy ponytail and pulling on a blue hoodie and red pants. She shoved her feet into her socks, and then proceeded to shove THEM into her red converse. She ran to the tiny dining table and grabbed her keys. Finally, she ran to the bedside table and silenced the alarm while tugging on her signature red beanie and dashing out of the small apartment.

It was 10:02 when she left the building and dashed into an abandoned alleyway to go ghost.

By 10:05, she could see two teenagers sitting on the steps outside the great bookstore, one buried in some large text, the other appearing to be trying to fall asleep on the hard cement. She dashed into a nearby alleyway before changing back and sprinting up the road to join her friends.

"Dani, you made it!" The cry was feminine and sounded pleased to see her- Chrissie

"Quiet down you two... Can't you see I'm trying to sleep here?" This one was male, and filled to the brim with annoyance- Scott.

"Sorry, I slept in." The half-ghost mumbled through a yawn.

"It's cool, wanna head to Moby's for a coffee?"

And so, without haste, the trio made their way towards town for a coffee.

For the next couple of weeks, the kids continued in this manner. Dani sleeping in, Christina getting up at some ungodly hour, and Scott half conscious right beside them. They would meet up on the library steps, and Chrissie would drag Scott right along, occasionally actually pulling him across the pavement. They would then order their drinks, (a vanilla frappuccino, a caramel cappuccino, and plain black coffee with two packs of sugar) and sit at a table by the window. Sometimes chatting, other times playing the "what does Scott say in his sleep" game, and other times just sitting together in companionable silence as they sipped their drinks and waited for their friend to wake up. All in all, it was a good life, and Dani was happy to be here.

Buuuutttt...

It WAS kind of boring, since apparently, Genius doesn't exactly mean robots and conspiracies, as much as it meant pear pods and big books.  
She loved her friends and her new town, but being normal was, well, boring.

She would later regret that.

A/N: I AM SOOOOOOO SORRY! This chapter took a lot longer than it should have, especially considering its size. However, I've got quite a bit planned out already, and want YOU! YES, YOU! TO HELP ME!  
So, all you have to do is leave a comment on which idea you want to see first,  
A) Vlad is stirring up trouble, but this time, he's going for a more profitable target... Volt!  
Or,  
B) When dani spots what appears to be a portal to the ghost zone, she waves it off, thinking herself paranoid. However, when strange events begin to occur, it's up to Dani to stop the free spirited trickster before a certain genius gets suspicious.  
And finally, whoever guesses who drank which coffee first gets a cameo in the next chapter!  
Man, I'm handing out ALL sorts of prizes... I'm turning into Oprah!  
Syd004

BTW: Moby's is like their Starbucks, in case you missed the reference.


End file.
